Love found a little too late
by sergeant puddlez
Summary: Draco and Hermione are married,but sadly Draco is not the perfect husband.When he tries to fix everything he finds it is too late.Rated M for safety's sake.Pairings Draco/Hermione Harry/Ginny and previous Ron/Hermione
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. all characters are thanks to J.'s wonderful imagination.**

**A/N: hope you enjoy it.**

"That was the last time I would see Jennifer. I couldn't believe I had betrayed Hermione like that, how could I cheat on my wife? How? And with her best friend? Tonight I will tell Hermione everything and hope for her forgiveness. I love her so much and I lied to her for so long, I was so stupid. So stupid. You've said you would tell her before thousands of times what makes tonight different huh? What? I cannot keep being a coward and Hermione deserves the truth."

Those were the thoughts running through Draco's head as he sprinted up the driveway of the Manor. The Manor they had lived together in for 5 years and a week. They had moved in the night they got married.

"You've been stupid Draco, so stupid…"

He stopped thinking as he spotted a white piece of paper on the front desk to the left of the ancient arched church like door.

It was addressed to him in a elegant handwriting belonging to his beautiful wife. He carefully opened the letter not knowing what to expect was she visiting Ginny and Harry tonight and staying over or…

_Dear Draco_

_Many years ago when you told me your feelings for me I was very suspicious, but it was after the war and your family had turned to the good side so I gave you a chance. I never regretted that decision not once._

_Until 3 years ago when I discovered something about you that I never thought you would do to me Draco. Cheat on me, the woman you supposedly loved. I should have seen the signs: you going to work more often, coming home late and not wanting to watch __our__ movie with me. _

I look back and see in your eyes the sorrow as you lie to my face and that cringe of pain for knowing how that would hurt me, but still you wouldn't stop. After a year that stopped appearing in your eyes and I knew I had lost you. Lost you to my best friend.

_I must not have been a good wife and I am sorry for that, but now you can go to the woman you love without having me in your way. _

_You didn't think I noticed those small glances you made in her direction every time I invited her to dinner or her inviting us, I noticed. Did you honestly think I was that stupid? They don't call me the brightest witch of the age for nothing you know. Of course you know you were the only man who understood what I was saying and could make me laugh and with intelligent jokes not just toilet humour like my other male friends._

_I wonder what you are thinking right now. Is it perhaps where is she? or Why isn't she saying this to my face? Well all in due time my love. _

_I never told you much about my past, I simply couldn't. Reliving all of that is not something I ever wanted to do. I never lied but I never told you the whole truth like the reason Ron and I stopped seeing each other or the fact that the man you know as my father is actually my step-father._

_I'm afraid I could not stay with you anymore. When you've been married to someone who has been unfaithful for over half of your marriage you tend to give up. Harry was right you did rub off on me I am a coward._

_As you know in the wizarding world there are no divorces it is literally till death do us part. See if your ring comes off, check! I am at the place I was happiest and saddest, the place we were together and were you left me._

_I am gone Draco I made double sure I'd be gone. You cannot save me as I left this note half an hour after you left this morning._

_Remember me at your favourite moments even though I don't know if you have any left of me. Tell Harry that nothing was ever his fault and Ginny that she must keep her temper in check especially around the baby, and to both that I love them. Please tell Jennifer that no matter what she was my best friend and that I knew and was finally able to forgive her and let her have you._

_And finally Draco I have left you my journals the most important for you to read are lying next to me and the rest (if you wish to fill in the blanks) are in your old room. Also if you wish my pensieves are were they usually are if you need them and please let Harry and Ginny see all my good memories do not make them feel sad and at a loss but content with the knowledge that I am once again happy and no one can hurt me anymore._

_I, Hermione Jane Malfoy, love you with all my heart and truly don't regret anything. _

_I would like you to please put on my tombstone our words and in case you have forgotten_

"I can't live if you're not happy  
I can't live if you cry,  
I can live without you if it makes you smile  
And I can't wait to see you rise  
And I can't wait for you to shine  
But I can wait for you if all you need is time"

_Yet sadly Draco I cannot wait anymore for you to stop loving her and love me again, in _

_these last few months I tried to make it work again had I seen the love for me in your eyes again I would have stayed but perhaps I cannot see love anymore._

_This is what saddens me the most about my life the fact that I was not good enough to have and to hold your love. You were the end of my nightmares and my fairytale happy ending, you were my way out of this damned life but I was not meant to have a good life only Kodak moments of what could have been._

_I love you Malfoy and sadly because every ending has a beginning and the two must meet you started as Malfoy and in that way I must say goodbye._

_love_

_Granger, your mudblood._

Draco read and read through the letter. His heart tore into millions of pieces. She gave up on him and he couldn't bare all the guilt that he felt for all that he had done.

"Hermione!HERMIONE!!!"

His shouts were filled with pain and anguish and perhaps hope that somehow she was ran up the steps to the library and into the built in room for them.

It was there that Draco found the love of his life in a pool of her blood with his letter opener in hand and her anniversary gift in the other. The vivid green stone was now covered in her red blood, it was much like them. Gryffindor and Slytherin-never meant to stay together.

Draco walked blindly to the fireplace in the library with tears streaming down his face, he knelt with his face close by the ashes and called "…

**A/N: hope you like it, bare in mind that this is my first fanfic. If there are spelling mistakes please tell me~I am not brilliant with grammar or spelling.**

**I also don't know all the fanfic lingo so please tell me what to put on.**

**it may get gory and that later on but nothing to bad, I think.**


	2. Chapter 2

Harry and Ginny Potter were sitting in their living room when they heard a faint noise coming from behind them. Harry's eyes went wide with shock he had heard everything that the voice had said, as the auror training had increased his senses of sight and hearing. It was Draco.

"Harry…Harry, she's gone. Gone!"

Nothing else was heard except the soft sobbing coming through the fireplace. Ginny ran to Draco's floating head.

"Draco what's wrong? Where is Hermione?"

Ginny knew she had said something wrong as fresh waves of tears went down Draco's face. She had not heard what he had said as his head fell out of the fireplace.

"Harry help me get him in here."

"Ginny, I think we should visit our friends the Malfoys."

Ginny had only just noticed the fact that Harry hadn't moved since they had heard the sound that was now known as Draco. She watched as his face turned from shock to business. Ginny knew something had gone terribly horribly wrong, Harry never had his auror face on at home.

The sobbing had stopped and Draco's head had disappeared. Harry took Ginny by the arm and led her to the fireplace. He grabbed the necessary amount of floo-powder and in the small cottage his voice broke the deathly silence.

"MALFOY MANOR!"

Draco knew Harry had heard what he said and as he took his head out of the fireplace he realised he had not checked Hermione's pulse, but he was weak from crying. As Draco dragged his body to that of his beloved he lost hope. He found himself next to her cold lifeless body crying and trying to remember the last words they spoke to each other.

"Sweetheart I'm afraid I've got to run. Work has gotten really hectic recently, but I'll be home early I promise."

He remembered her laughing _"Oh Draco you say that everyday and I know you'll be home late."_

"_Hermione I promise this time I will be home early. I'll even help with supper."_

"_Okay Draco. I'm sure you'll be home" _He now heard the exasperated tone she had used.

"_Great! What can I get from the shops for you?"_

"Nothing Draco, Honest! You should get going or you'll be late."

"_What would I do without you?" _He had given her a kiss on the cheek at that moment or did he? He couldn't even remember that small detail. He did remember that he was at the front door when he heard her say something. At the time he thought it was just his mind playing tricks on him but now…it made sense that she would say that if she had been planning this. Draco looked at her body, beautiful even in death and knew he would forever be haunted by her last words spoken to him.

"I love you Draco, with all my heart…even if you cannot love me back."

Her last words were left echoing in his head _"…even if you cannot love me back."_

If in her letter she hadn't said she knew about his cheating he would never have known why she didn't believe he still loved her.

The most ironic of it all was that he did love her. After the first two years of marriage he had been tempted and he couldn't resist. His love for Hermione became buried under this mess of a life he had created. She had even forgiven him, she was always so selfless and yet now he knew, even though she forgave him, he could never forgive himself.

"Draco! Draco where are you?"

Draco got up off the floor and fixed himself up. Once he thought he looked respectable he walked into the library.

"Harry can you phone the Coroner? I don't think I will be able to."

"Of course Draco, where is she?"

Ginny was frozen. She couldn't believe that Hermione was dead. She watched as Harry started to walk to the room Draco had stepped out of.

"Harry. Do not go in there!"

"Why not?"

"You shouldn't see her like that."

"Like what Draco?"

"Please. Don't."

Ginny was shocked at the tone of voice Draco had used it was that of a little boy losing his favourite toy. She ran to the man who had just crumpled to the floor and held him. Draco couldn't stand the fact that _he_ had killed her. His life was over, no one to come home to, no one to say I love you at the most random times, no Hermione.

No more smiles while making cookies in the kitchen. No more comforting her during scary parts in movies. No more Hermione. No more Hermione. No more Hermione. No more Hermione. No more Hermione. NO MORE HERMIONE!!!!!

The coroner arrived at 7 that night, never had he seen such miserable faces before in his entire career, but then again he had heard of their love before and how magnificent it was to behold such a sight as young Malfoy and his bride.

"Mister Malfoy, where is she?"

"Please follow me."

They walked up staircase after staircase until they reached the library, the coroner was not surprised as more known then their love was her love of books.

"She's in there."

The young Malfoy could not walk into the room it was much too painful a sight, he fell on the couch as the coroner walked into their room. Their sanctuary.

"Mister Malfoy, I believe you should see this."

Draco stood as fast as he could and ran into the room.

"What is it?"

"Sir, look at the wall."

That tone of voice, the pity it held. How Draco hated pity with a passion. Yet Draco did as the coroner asked and looked on the wall. That second his heart broke again, and he died a little more at the sight on the wall next to the portrait of the happy couple there was written…

Draco it's not your fault. I love you. Love me back? Miss me just a little.

please, PLEASE!

She had written it in her blood and on the painting where there used to be a happy couple was now a young man smiling as his wife cried. He had forgotten that the portrait showed how they were every day. If they were fighting they were divided, if they were happy they would hold each other close, but the pictures could never die. Slowly but surely the man in the picture cried along with the woman beside him until she wiped her face and stood to leave looking back with nothing but sorrow; and pity.

**A/N: so… I hope you like it. please review. next chapter will probably entail some flashbacks~everyone loves those! **

**thanks for all the reviews, I truly appreciate them. And hopefully I will be able to update much sooner.**

**I'll try put 2 chapters up next time if I have time, but then again holidays are coming up…**


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